Do I suck at running??

I had the same experience..but last year even prior to my RnY surgery I completed 3 half marathons..using something called the Galloway method....it is a run walk run method...I started by running 45 seconds and walking for 30 seconds..it works...got up to 14 miles from not being able to walk around the block without being winded...they sell timers to keep your intervals..and there are many groups across the country....it was a great way to make friends and get support of others too. I put the first half marathon on the books and thought I was crazy..but I did it! and the feeling was so awesome I did it 2 more times..have recently had surgery on 2/7 can't wait to experience it with less weight.

That's amazing!  Good for you...  these kind of stories inspire me to keep going.  :)

And recognize that running may not ultimately be what you enjoy the most. I'm running (okay, well running and walking in a 5k this Sunday). As I've done my couch to 5k program, I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a runner. I'll still do it to add variety, but the idea of a marathon or 1/2 marathon, just does not excite me (no offense to those who love it). On the other hand, I'm loving riding my road bike and looking forward to building up to long rides this summer and beyond.

 

Outside of the mental issues of getting myself past my prior abilities and/or inabilities, I do enjoy and am finding it easier to motivate myself by mixing up my activities which is something I never did before. I find mixing my running, walking, biking and weight lifting up and not holding them to a fixed schedule helps me avoid boredom and dread.

 

Good luck and stick with it!

 

Chris

Can't believe you just posted this! Yesterday I did week 7 day 1 and because it was beautiful we decided to run outside. There is a park with a walking path around it and two times around is just about 2.5 miles. I could not even run once around without stopping. I did do my 2.5 miles but not nonstop. When I got in the car I was in tears cause I could not complete it where just a couple days ago I ran 2.25 miles on the treadmill with walking. I could tell it was a harder workout due to the sore muscles today. I may repeat week 5 and start outside to get my legs used to the concrete.

I agree with others who have posted; you may want to take a step back because of the change from the TM to the road is so different. I have to say, the road is so much harder to run on than the TM. I also have to agree with another post, having the right shoes is a MUST when running on the road. You may be getting in shape and dropping the weight, but running still takes a toll on the body, so take good care of it.
Unless you are signed up to run in some kind of race, take your time with building up your distance. Like someone else mentioned, take it one block at a time. You will build up your distance in no time. I started running a little over a year ago and could not run a block. Now I have ran several 5 and 10k's and two 1/2 marathons. I'm running a 1/2 marathon in a few weeks and one in June. I never in my life thought I could do that. Take your time and enjoy it. Good luck.

"Never in my life thought I could do that". 

That is the exact reason why I want to run.  

Most people find the TM easier but another thing is that you might have been running a lot faster especially if you were running with your kid as kids have a tendency to take off since they don't know what pacing is.

(I am one of the small minority who finds it easier outside than on the treadmill. I think it's because I can adjust my pace as I need to outside and the treadmill forces me to run at one pace.)

Adding on layers definitely helps beat the cold.  I run inside on the trac****il it gets above freezing, then try to run outside after that (assuming I can find a sidewalk path that is free from ice).  My secret to not freezing to death is to wear longer running pants and 3 layers on top (a short sleeve running shirt, a long sleeve running shirt, and an exercise hoodie that has sleeves long enough for me to pull my hands up into them.

I started running long before WLS, at a weight of over 220.  I tried to avoid the treadmill cuz I found it boring.  Slowly but surely running outdoors gets easier.  I actually found it the easiest when you get to the stage around week 7 of the c25k where you just run solid, with no walks in the middle- I found that it was easier because I would get into a groove, my breathing would level off, and I wouldn't find myself out of breath all of the time.

My advice to you is to back up to week 4 and start doing it outside.  If you are unable to do week 4 day 1 successfully, then back it up even farther the next time.  Keep backing up until you get to a point where you are successful, and start moving forward from there.  You can do it!!! :)